Valtteri Bottas has officially lost his seat at Mercedes. Mercedes and the Finn have just announced that the contract which expires at the end of 2021 will not be renewed. George Russell will in all likelihood become his replacement.
Bottas came to Mercedes in 2017 as the replacement for Nico Rosberg. Say no to a seat from the world champion, Bottas must have thought. At Mercedes, he immediately made a neat impression in his first season. He won two races and finished third in the world championship. But then things started to take a turn for the worse.
Bottas' departure
In 2018, Bottas had a lesser year with no wins, while his teammate managed to take the world title. The gap between Lewis Hamilton and Bottas was widening, but in 2019 and 2020, the Finn again proved his worth as a second driver, finishing second in the world championship.
However, a poor start to the 2021 Formula One season and emerging talent George Russell, have combined to ensure that Mercedes have now chosen to end their partnership with Bottas.
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